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Gifts: Philodox
The Philodox Gifts These Gifts are the secrets given to Gaia's children by Luna. She bid her many servants teach the Garou their various tricks, arming them with magical skills with which to protect Gaia. Luna gifts her Half Moon children with powers of balance, judgment, and enforcement of law. The judges and mediators of the Garou nation use their magic to discern the truth, lead in times of peace, and mediate among their fellows. Rank 1 Fangs of Judgement It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgment but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, causes the werewolf's claws and fangs to burn with the righteous power of law. System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the next full day, all of the Garou's natural weaponry attacks do two extra dice of damage to all beings who have fallen from their original purpose to the service of the Wyrm (such as Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, and corrupted nature spirits; Banes which came into existence as agents of the Wyrm are, regrettably, exempt from this Gift's sanction). Persuasion This Gift imbues a werewolf's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life). Resist Pain Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear- or badger-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene. Scent of the True Form The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically; pre-Change werewolves smell like Kin. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy, or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark." Truth of Gaia As judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A Gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift. System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither. Rank 2 Call to Duty Names hold great power in the spirit world, and the Philodox may exploit this to summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command may be given, and the spirit departs immediately after fulfilling it. Alternatively, all spirits in the area may be called in times of great need. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift. System: The Garou must know the name of the spirit she wishes to summon. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the spirit's Willpower). The second mode of this Gift simply requires the player to spend two Gnosis points to summon all Gaian spirits within a one-mile (1.6 km) radius. If the character has abused this Gift in the past (in the Storyteller's estimation), the spirits might refuse the call -- such a general summons is rooted more in appeal to duty than compulsion. The mightiest of spirits (Incarnae and above) are generally able to ignore this Gift if they choose. Command the Gathering The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so. King of the Beasts The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion- or falcon-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time. Strength of Purpose Philodox use this Gift to fortify themselves in the face of the Apocalypse, turning hot passion and burning Rage into cold, steely resolve. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift. System: Once per scene, the player may roll Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7). For every two successes, the Philodox recovers one point of Willpower, up to her maximum. Rank 3 Mental Speech This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird-spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift. System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use social Abilities such as Intimidation. Scent of the Oathbreaker Oaths sanctified before a Philodox are a serious matter indeed, so this Gift grants the judges of the Garou nation the ability to know when an oath has been broken and to track down the oathbreaker to correct him personally. A dog-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The Philodox may spend one Gnosis point to sanctify any oath or promise he personally witnesses, no matter how formal or informal. If at any point in the future one of the individuals sworn to the oath breaks it, the Philodox immediately becomes aware of this, and all rolls for the werewolf to track the oathbreaker by scent drop to difficulty 4. This benefit lasts until the Philodox next stands in the oathbreaker's presence. Sense Balance As the arbitrators of the Garou Nation, the Philodox have developed an attunement with the cosmic forces that balance the Tellurian. The werewolf may sense an overabundance of Wyrm, Wyld, or Weaver energies in a location. A cat-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to detect the spiritual balance of an area, if any. Wyrm manifestations feel dense and oily, Weaver presence feels cold and unyielding, and Wyld energies feel hot and trembling. The Philodox must be at peace and without distraction to use this Gift. Weak Arm By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake- and wind-spirits teach this Gift. System: The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage -- whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift. Wisdom of the Ancient Ways All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors -- a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, –1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be. Rank 4 Roll Over The werewolf radiates authority and power, allowing him to exert his dominance over others. Humans bow or kneel, while Garou roll over to expose their throats. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player begins an extended, resisted Willpower contest. The results are compared to each of her opponents in turn; when the player has scored three more successes than an opponent, that opponent drops out of the contest and submits. If one of the opponents accumulates three more successes over the character, the contest ends. For the remainder of the scene, any individual who has submitted will take no actions at all without the approval of the character, unless their life depends on it. Scent of Beyond With a moment's concentration, the werewolf can hurl her senses to any place with which she is familiar (even an Umbral location), no matter how far away it may be. Because a bird-spirit teaches this Gift, her senses perceive the scene from above. System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8). If the target location is in the Umbra, the difficulty is 8 or the local Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher. This far-seeing continues for as long as the werewolf desires, but the character suffers a -3 penalty to any attempts to react to local stimuli while her senses are projected. Take the True Form The Philodox can force a being into its true form. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, Changing Breeds (including Garou) are forced to revert to their breed form for one turn per success. Other shapeshifted creatures (such as vampires masquerading as wolves) targeted by this power are likewise forced to revert to their true forms. Rank 5 Geas This Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force and individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar. System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower, or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest. Wall of Granite Philodox have a stronger relationship with the elementals of the earth than other werewolves do; just as the earth upholds those upon it, the Philodox uphold the Litany that sustains their people. While in contact with earth or rock, the Philodox can invoke a wall to protect himself. This wall moves with the Garou, defending him from all angles. Earth elementals teach this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The wall's dimensions are three yards high, two yards long and one yard thick (or a similar number of meters), and if the Garou desires, it may be extended to encircle a number of allies up to the werewolf's Gnosis, so long as they huddle close. It has a soak pool of 10 dice, and 15 health levels must be inflicted to penetrate it at any point. The wall lasts for one scene or until released into the earth by the Garou. Rank 6 Break the Bonds This Gift shatters all bonds, whether physical or mental, from sturdy iron chains to the slavery of a vampire's bewitched blood. The Garou may use it to benefit any being, including herself. It is taught by any Incarna with the freedom to come and go as they please. System: The Garou is automatically immune to any supernatural coercion, and may break bonds as though she had Strength 15. She may also break another's physical bonds with that same Strength, or banish mental bonds from another with a Manipulation + Leadership roll (difficulty 11 - target's Willpower).